What important people are saying about ‘The Kwame Sutra’

“The only thing you could trust Kwame to do is say something memorable ... a one-stop shop for all of Kwame’s best BS.”— Drew Lane, host of the top-rated Drew & Mike Show, WRIF radio (101.1 FM)

“Kwame M. Kilpatrick had a great gift. He was a master of the spoken word. At his best, he could bring a crowd of thousands to their feet, persuade the titans of industry to write huge checks to his campaign fund, or charm the panties off a long line of women -- including his chief of staff. Sadly, he also misused that great gift in a vain attempt to hide the truth in court. Thanks to the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting of Jim Schaefer and M. L. Elrick, he didn’t get away with it. Now, Kwame’s quotes are a lesson for all of us. A lie, beautifully told and passionately pronounced, is still a lie. Ultimately, the truth always wins. ‘Hell yeah!’”— Huel Perkins, anchor, Fox-2 Detroit

“Kwame Kilpatrick rose to power on the strength of his words. It is sad that his words also paved his way to shame. No one tells his story better than he: the good, the bad and the awful. So don’t let anyone else tell you. Let him. Experience the whole ride — in his own words.”— Rochelle Riley, columnist, Detroit Free Press

“Kwame Kilpatrick was a brilliant politician and a fool, a lover and a hater, an inspiration to his race and a race-baiter, a liar and a thief, a man who thought he was serving God and a man who acted like he was God. But don’t take my word for it. Take his.”— Michael Rosenberg, Detroit Free Press columnist and author of “War As They Knew It: Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler and America in a Time of Unrest”

“Chutzpah on a higher level. Falsely accusing me of buying prostitutes while he financed his own lurid love life with public dollars. It’s all here, in his own words.”— Steve Wilson, chief investigative reporter, WXYZ-TV (Channel 7)

“The Kwame Sutra,”

“The Kwame Sutra,” is “a one-stop shop for all of Kwame’s best BS,” says top-rated morning radio show host Drew Lane. This new book from Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters M.L. Elrick and Jim Schaefer captures Kwame Kilpatrick as no one ever has. In his own words, including never-before-published quotations, the former mayor of Detroit reveals himself in many ways: Liar, Lothario and, yes, leader.

Through public pronouncements, candid asides, unscripted outbursts and secret text messages, “The Kwame Sutra” provides a 3-D portrait of Detroit’s youngest elected mayor, from his stunning rise to power to the self-induced, cataclysmic crash that landed him in the Wayne County Jail. It’s all here, in graphic detail, in the man’s own words, in one handsome volume.

The Kwame Sutra is available through this site and selected retailers and bookstores throughout Michigan and the Detroit area. A portion of proceeds will benefit Eagle Sports Club.

UPDATE: Due to overwhelming demand, “The Kwame Sutra” is now entering it's third printing in two weeks. We appreciate your support. -- ML & Jim for Watchmen Ink LLC

Fun Facts from the Fulfillment Center:

In our initial 10 days of publication, customers on two continents ordered “The Kwame Sutra.”

Copies of the book were sent to 15 states and the District of Columbia.

We practically covered all four corners of the U.S., with customers in Maine, Florida and California.

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick tells M.L. Elrick: "Boy I’d really like to hit you," before meeting with the Free Press editorial board. “That would only result in another lawsuit against the city,” Elrick countered, to which Kilpatrick replied, “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

About the authors

Elrick and Schaefer hold up an early edition of the Detroit Free Press at the Anchor Bar on the day Kwame Kilpatrick entered a plea deal that effectively brought the text message scandal -- and Kilpatrick’s tenure as mayor -- to an end. (Photo by Steve Dorsey)

Jim Schaefer and M.L. Elrick are investigative reporters at the Detroit Free Press. Together, they have covered Mayor Kilpatrick since 2002. Their award-winning investigations included exposing Kilpatrick’s many foibles -- from the red Navigator to spa visits paid for with tax dollars to the text message scandal, which ultimately cost Kilpatrick his job and his freedom. In 2009, Schaefer and Elrick received the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting in the text message scandal.

Eagle Sports Club

A portion of our proceeds benefits Eagle Sports Club (www.eaglesportsclub.com), a faith-based charity that provides sports and tutoring programs for Detroit children.